Johnetta Anderson

poet.

about

a poet from the west side of chicago.

  • poem no. 290: a westside love story

    Lyircs

    I’m from the west side of 

    Chicago 

    Home of Buck 50s & 

    Pelle coats 

    Uncle Remus & Marshall Commandos,

    They say we ain’t got grass

    Bet you we keep some bands, tho 

    Sling shots pulling up at stop signs

    To cop weight 

    Box chevieves 

    With speakers in the trunk 

    That makes the block shake

    The west side has been well 

    Even back when Martin King 

    Lived in Lawndale 

    Didn’t we teach y’all how to 

    Footwork? 

    Didn’t Chairman Fred Sr. 

    Teach y’all a movement is only 

    As good as your footwork

    Even when the police shot up 

    That apartment to undermine 

    The Panther’s worth 

    You think that stopped Njeri 

    Akua from giving birth? 

    Westside be resilient 

    Like Madison & Pulaski 

    We still wear that Southern 

    Hospitality

    Put some sugar 

    In my grits 

    There’s audacity 

    In this grit 

    Even when white banks 

    Gave us bogus loans 

    We still held on to 

    Grandma’s home 

    I’m from Austin 

    Lockwood, Laramie, Laclair 

    Even with all the Ls 

    We still produce doctors 

    & mayors 

    We’ve been straight 

    Like back alignment

    & good flippers 

    I’m an earthy chick 

    From 290 

    So when you see 

    The 4s are aligning

    Guard ya lining 

    Like good clippers 

    Wait, that entendre was triple

    Westside be moving in silence 

    Like non-disclosures & hippa 

    Legendary like Lupe & Twista 

    Call us Out West IL cause 

    What else can they do with us?

  • BLK Girls Build Resistance (Trailer)

    a digital poem. (Trailer)

    BLK Girls Build Resistance is a poem written in conversations and lived experiences. During a 5 Week poetry workshop, I bring together seven Black girls to discuss community, identity, and overcoming difficult emotions. This poem also includes creative works and input from adult artists, making this an intergenerational poem on film.